When Markus Schreyer joined Vanderbilt University as CEO of Vanderbilt Enterprises, he brought a world of experience—literally. His decades-long career in global hospitality took him from Tokyo to Marrakesh, Jaipur and Mexico City as he helped shape some of the most recognized luxury brands in the world.
“What struck me wasn’t the luxury or scale [of the brands],” Schreyer says. “It was human connection, experience and a sense of place. That feeling of belonging, even in a completely new environment, has never left me.”
It’s that same sense of belonging he hopes to cultivate here in Nashville. Vanderbilt Enterprises—a new initiative focused on growing revenue and engagement across the university— aims to strengthen ties between Vanderbilt and fans, alumni and the broader community.
In this Q&A, Schreyer explains how his team is redefining what it means to be a Vanderbilt fan and why connection is at the heart of everything he does.
For those who may not be familiar with it, what exactly is Vanderbilt Enterprises?
We’re focused on driving revenues outside of academic funding through athletics, events, sponsorships, licensing, merchandise and more. Think of it almost like a chief revenue office for the university, designed to leverage every underused opportunity in support of Vanderbilt’s mission. That might mean better utilizing facilities, expanding partnerships or creating experiences that bring people to campus. Everything we do ultimately supports the university’s core academic and community goals.
Athletics seems to be a big part of that work. How do sports fit into the bigger picture?
With the success we’re seeing across our programs—and thanks to the leadership of Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee—athletics has become an incredible entry point for engagement. It’s where people get emotionally connected. When our soccer team wins the SEC Championship, our football team beats Auburn in overtime, or we see the kind of momentum we’ve had this season across both our men’s and women’s basketball programs—that excitement brings people together. From my experience, revenue growth comes through emotion, not transactions. Athletics sparks that emotion, and then we build from there. It opens doors to engage with corporations, alumni and fans in other ways like career development, research and executive education.
And everything we do in athletics has to reflect Vanderbilt’s unique balance: top academic excellence and SEC competitiveness. Athletics is the front porch of the university, and we want that porch to feel welcoming, vibrant and true to our values.
You see belonging as the new form of luxury. How does that translate to a college sports environment?
Luxury has evolved. It’s not about exclusivity anymore—it’s about experience and community. In hospitality, we talk about creating spaces where people feel they belong. The same applies here. Whether it’s a football, basketball or baseball game, a volleyball match or a concert, we want people to feel like this is their place. That means thoughtful design, storytelling and creating moments that connect people beyond the game itself.
What might that look like in action?
This season showed what’s possible when success on the field and on the court meets a stronger connection to Nashville. The momentum brought the city back, and we built on that energy with local partnerships, better fan experiences and a more welcoming district. The commercial results followed—record merchandise sales, doubled concessions and consistent sellouts.
Now we’re applying this approach across all sports. We’re creating spaces and experiences that feel authentically Vanderbilt and deeply connected to Nashville—with the Football Experience Center, the transformation of Jess Neely Drive and enhancements across our Olympic sports as key next steps. That means rethinking how fans move through the district, where they gather, what they eat and how we personalize their visit.
In short: Team success creates excitement, and our job is to turn that excitement into lasting connection and sustainable growth for every sport.
When you imagine the Vanderbilt experience five or 10 years from now, what do you hope people will say?
I hope they’ll say, “I was part of something bigger.” That every touchpoint—from parking to postgame—reflects Vanderbilt’s spirit of hospitality and community. I’m hoping that people have seen this already this year, and we have the first success stories to tell. We’re just getting started.
“From my experience, revenue growth comes through emotion, not transactions.” —Markus Schreyer
By Erin Steinbrüchel Holt, BA’05
